Teams & Riders Nairo Quintana discussion thread

[Red Rick]

The worrying thing is that riders around his own age are breaking through, climbing in near his level and being far better TT'ers

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

The worrying thing is that riders around his own age are breaking through, climbing in near his level and being far better TT'ers

I think missed chances could come back to haunt him. He can still win this race but winning the Tour is another matter completely.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

The worrying thing is that riders around his own age are breaking through, climbing in near his level and being far better TT'ers

I think missed chances could come back to haunt him. He can still win this race but winning the Tour is another matter completely.

I agree.

Let's take for example this Tour. Even if he had been OK in the Alps, he would have probably come 3 or 4 at best. I did the best scenarios and that's what I came up with. 2015 was a very special Tour because Movistar had very good TT's and did not have an individual TT.

Maybe his best chance might come from not having the pressure of not chasing GC and not being a marked man. Other scenarios might open up for him. And even that is very difficult.

Lastly he needs to time his form better and be better prepare for the heat. His numbers are showing that he still has that power to be one of the best climbers.

 

[MuskyOurSaviour]

Re:

Happy with that , Quintana will
Massacre Yates on the covadonga

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[tobydawq]

I'm absoutely sick of this guy.

 

[Escarabajo]

Those are harsh words tobydawq. Don't understand what he did to you.

I think he'll finish off the podium. Yates, Valverde and Lopez to complete the podium. He screwed his year showing up like that (overweight) after the long winter. In the short climbs where more power is needed he does not have as much problem. In longer climbs is where he start suffering and does not recuperate properly.

It is only between 3 riders. Advantage to Yates and then Lopez who look fresher. Even with Valverde being the best TT he looks a bit tire.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

Those are harsh words tobydawq. Don't understand what he did to you.

I think he'll finish off the podium. Yates, Valverde and Lopez to complete the podium. He screwed his year showing up like that (overweight) after the long winter. In the short climbs where more power is needed he does not have as much problem. In longer climbs is where he start suffering and does not recuperate properly.

It is only between 3 riders. Advantage to Yates and then Lopez who look fresher. Even with Valverde being the best TT he looks a bit tire.

First off: I have never liked him and have always have had difficulties accepting that there is a general consensus that Valverde should bow down to him and help him.

Secondly, today he couldn't do anything and clearly demanded that Valverde take the lead so his ego would not be tested. In the end, when it was obvious to everyone and their dog that Quintana and Valverde were equal and the latter could get the bonifications, he still acts as a spoiled brat that demands that Valverde takes the lead on the downhill so he can't outsprint Yates.

And for good measure he shows his ineptitude by conceding a few seconds in the end. The only good tging he did was to prevent López and Yates from getting too far away with his presence among them.

But somebody needs to tell Eusebio that this is not a race Quintana can win. With a good time trial, Valverde can.

 

[Rollthedice]

It's becoming increasingly obvious that 2015 Huez Quintana is gone. He just doesn't have it anymore so that's why he is riding on the defensive thinking that a podium is always better than to blow up completely. We'll have to wait though until Andorra for a definitive answer.

 

[Escarabajo]

@tobydawq: We read races differently. Valverde had to share the work as well. And he helped. So between him and Quintana they minimize the losses so that was a win for both. In fact Valverde won more with the TT looming. In the races where Valverde has worked (I think) for Quintana he has been clearly superior so I don't understand why you see it otherwise. And they both have a good relation, different to what people think here.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

It's becoming increasingly obvious that 2015 Huez Quintana is gone. He just doesn't have it anymore so that's why he is riding on the defensive thinking that a podium is always better than to blow up completely. We'll have to wait though until Andorra for a definitive answer.

He is riding defensively because he doesn't have it.

 

[IndianCyclist]

Re: Re:

It's becoming increasingly obvious that 2015 Huez Quintana is gone. He just doesn't have it anymore so that's why he is riding on the defensive thinking that a podium is always better than to blow up completely. We'll have to wait though until Andorra for a definitive answer.

He is riding defensively because he doesn't have it.

Too much weight becos of Colombian delicacies or too little training becos of "i can win when i want" attitude?

 

[ice&fire]

Weight might be of help in the TT

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Still, I hope Quintana will kick some d#$%@s asses.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

@tobydawq: We read races differently. Valverde had to share the work as well. And he helped. So between him and Quintana they minimize the losses so that was a win for both. In fact Valverde won more with the TT looming. In the races where Valverde has worked (I think) for Quintana he has been clearly superior so I don't understand why you see it otherwise. And they both have a good relation, different to what people think here.

In the 2016 Tour, Valverde carried Quintana around France. It was awful to watch.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

It's becoming increasingly obvious that 2015 Huez Quintana is gone. He just doesn't have it anymore so that's why he is riding on the defensive thinking that a podium is always better than to blow up completely. We'll have to wait though until Andorra for a definitive answer.

He is riding defensively because he doesn't have it.

Too much weight becos of Colombian delicacies or too little training becos of "i can win when i want" attitude?

A little bit of both!

The other day in the interview with Colombian television he said that he was missing his plantains!!! LOL.

 

[movingtarget]

I am starting to think that Quintana is bluffing and he doesn't have the legs. Hence the lack of attacks. Carapaz closed the biggest gap for him today.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re: Re:

@tobydawq: We read races differently. Valverde had to share the work as well. And he helped. So between him and Quintana they minimize the losses so that was a win for both. In fact Valverde won more with the TT looming. In the races where Valverde has worked (I think) for Quintana he has been clearly superior so I don't understand why you see it otherwise. And they both have a good relation, different to what people think here.

In the 2016 Tour, Valverde carried Quintana around France. It was awful to watch.

I keep hearing this, but I am not sure that Valverde would have fared any better if we was riding for himself? I doubt it after that Giro. I still believe Quintana gave them the best chance for a win or podium in 2016. And that was coming from 2015 Tour. There was no reason to do otherwise. Valverde has had good results riding with Quintana at the Tour. He has helped him take some of the pressure off him.

This is the Vuelta and he can do whatever he wants. He is riding for himself now. He can win it but he looks tired as well.

 

[saneguy]

Nairo clearly doesnt have the legs. Too much weight / lack of training. Call it what you want. This was "suppose" to be his stage, his style of riding. He is not in shape. He is only 33 seconds behind but that will probably become 1.33 at the end of the time trail. Yates will surely put in a lot of time on Nairo.

Over to Andorra then.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

I am starting to think that Quintana is bluffing and he doesn't have the legs. Hence the lack of attacks. Carapaz closed the biggest gap for him today.

I am 99.99% sure of this!!

 

[hrotha]

For someone who doesn't have the legs, he sure responded to lots of attacks personally without much of a problem.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Beware Quintana is a 3rd week beast. Write him off too soon would be dumb

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Beware Quintana is a 3rd week beast. Write him off too soon would be dumb

How long have we been hearing that about Quintana ? Yes you can't write him off completely but others are definitely looking better. His first TT was very good, the next one should be interesting. The race is still wide open.

 

[Koronin]

Re:

Beware Quintana is a 3rd week beast. Write him off too soon would be dumb

He won't make up over a minute on both Yates and Valverde in the 3rd week. It is highly likely he'll have to make up that kind of time to both of them. On the first of these three stages he only put around 20-25 seconds on Valverde and that was one of the two stages in this Vuelta that are/were the worst stages for Valverde.

 

[Red Rick]

Quintana just doesn't have it. He improved a lot in the last week of the 2015 Vuelta though, but I'm long past considering mythical peak Quintana reliable. Just slightly more reliable than hypothetical healthy Kelderman

 

[Koronin]

Re:

Quintana just doesn't have it. He improved a lot in the last week of the 2015 Vuelta though, but I'm long past considering mythical peak Quintana reliable. Just slightly more reliable than hypothetical healthy Kelderman

2015 he was also very sick during the 2nd week, which actually explains his dramatic improvement in the 3rd week.